Page 85 of Siren Problems
She stops cold.
Her gaze falls on the desk. On the nameplate. On me.
“You…?”
I shrug, trying not to fidget. “You needed a place to work.”
She walks to it like it might vanish if she breathes too hard. Her fingers trace the carvings, the smooth polish, the little drawer handles shaped like coral.
“Calder…”
My throat tightens. “I just wanted you to know. You’re not temporary here. This town, this research,me.You’re a part of it.”
She turns slowly, eyes glassy but bright. “You made me a goddamndesk?”
I nod, awkward as hell.
She launches into my arms with a laugh that sounds like sunlight.
“You absolute softie. I love it. I loveyou.”
And for the first time in longer than I can remember, I smile without guilt.
CHAPTER 29
LUNA
Idon’t know what I expected from Kai’s re-opening party, but it sure as hell wasn’t this much glitter.
Sip & Spell has been reborn. The place glows—literally. Kelp streamers drift from the rafters like enchanted seaweed caught mid-waltz. Spellfire lanterns float lazily overhead, casting soft blues and purples on the crowd. Someone definitely hexed the jukebox to harmonize with the ocean; the whole place hums like it’s breathing along with the tide.
“Sip & Spell 2.0, bitches!” Kai yells from the bar, wielding a crystalline goblet of something that sparkles ominously. “Same drama, better drinks!”
There’s magic in the air—and not just the literal kind. Everyone in Lowtide Bluffs has shown up. Fisherfolk who never leave the docks. Seers and sirens and the odd nymph with sea-glass in her hair. Even the town mayor is here, looking confused but pleased while sipping a bubbling purple drink.
I move through the crowd, barefoot and buzzed, weaving past a trio of kelpies debating tidal sovereignty and a were-seagull in a tux shirt unbuttoned halfway. There’s joy in the air, heavy and heady like summer salt and freedom.
Mira’s posted up at a corner booth, elbow-deep in leyline readings and poking at a glowing relic like she’s trying to make it sing opera. She waves without looking up. “Luna, the tide resonance spike is behaving weird. You need to see?—”
I cut her off with a grin. “Mira. Babe. I’m wearing a skirt that sparkles when I twirl and drinking something Kai called ‘Sea Bitch.’ Science can wait.”
“Fine.” She sips a bright green drink. “But it’s peaking under the moonlight. Literally peaking.”
“That’s what she said!” Lyle cackles as he slides past with a tray full of cocktails, each topped with a spiral of glowing lemon peel.
“Lyle, what’s in the Whirlpool Heartache?” I call out.
“Regret and pomegranate,” he says cheerfully. “Want two?”
I wave him off and keep moving, because I see him. Leaning against the back wall, arms crossed like a sea god carved from shadow and salt, is Calder. The crowd parts around him like even now the tide knows better than to get too close.
But he doesn’t look untouchable anymore.
He looks... mine.
I saunter over, feet sticky with spilled spells and joy. “You gonna lurk all night like a sea-salted vampire, or are you gonna dance with me?”
He raises one of those perfect eyebrows. “I don’t dance.”
